


I'll Protect You

by DarthSuki



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alpha Maxson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Omega Reader, POV Third Person, Smut, awkward maxson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 09:49:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7710448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthSuki/pseuds/DarthSuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternately titled: "How Arthur Maxson, an unmated alpha, inadvertently started sharing his room with an unmated omega that Nate found in a vault that was experimenting on alpha/omega bonds. They're probably gonna bang and it's gonna be filthy."</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Protect You

Everything started because of trust; the trust that Arthur Maxson held in a man who had surprised and awed him more times than he could count. From wasteland wanderer to respected, powerful Paladin with few equal in combat or wisdom, Maxson had grown to see Nate as an equal. They butt heads, argued, and even exchanged blows on a small handful of occasions, but Maxson knew that there was no man he’d trust more when it came to something important.

It was that very trust that had allowed Nate onto the Prydwen, accompanied by a small, obviously terrified outsider. Her eyes leaked as much fear as they did tears, dripping down her dirt-covered face.

Maxson had gotten little information about the situation beforehand, outside of Nate asking for permission (telling) to bring her aboard the ship; he had said it was urgent, and in the Brotherhood’s best interest to have her there. Nate had not elaborated any further than that over the communicator, letting it fizzle out and saturate Maxson’s thoughts with confusion and annoyance.

They were on the ship a few hours later, standing before him. Nate stood tall, though even without the power armor covering his body he towered over the small, shaking woman standing beside him. She looked small. Frail. Her eyes looked as if they were waiting for something to jump out at her.

The thing that grabbed the Elder’s attention though, outside of her nonverbal cues, was her outfit. He had half a mind to expect a wastelander in the most stereotypical of fashions: ratty, hand-sewn clothes, dirt-stained skin, scars and the smell of unwashed filth. The woman standing before him looked worse for wear, yes, but otherwise cleanly. A vault jumpsuit clung to her form, over every curve from her chest to her hips, and although there was dirt smeared over her face and limbs, it was nothing worse than what he’d expect to see from his initiates and knights if they got into some sort of scuffle.

So she was a vault-dweller. 

Maxson’s eyes flickered to Nate, silently asking for information without having to say anything. He knew little to nothing about the vaults outside that they existed, and that most of them were either emptied, looted, or still locked up tight. The fact that there was a small, obviously frightened vault dweller standing there in front of him posed more questions than he might have had than if Nate had grabbed some random wastelander off the broken streets.

“I hope you have a good reason for bringing this civilian aboard, Paladin,” Maxson said, his voice measured and low as he glanced over her a second time. He felt a little put-off by her presence, his mind feeling almost mildly paranoid, eyes constantly drawing in her direction. He could only label the reaction as caution, and that spurred the man’s desire for information that much harder. “Please, enlighten me why you have--”

“She’s an omega.” 

No permission to speak, no traditional pleasantries, just a blunt fact shoved into the commanding officer’s face that left him fumbling for understanding.

A series of expressions flew over Maxson’s face as his mind came to realize what Nate had said. Annoyance at the rudeness, confusion at the words themselves, and then finally realization...as he finally started to pick up on the scent. 

So that what had been driving his nerves up a wall. That scent, curling in the air, leaving Maxson overly-cautious and unsure what to think.

An actual omega. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen one, let alone came so close as to smell one. The rarity of the scent left the young leader’s inner alpha instincts in a slur of confusion for how to respond.

But at least the rest of him was in line, following the protocols that had been set out in an unspoken rule of the wasteland that even the Brotherhood of Steel themselves followed. 

Omegas were to be protected at all costs. Raider or Brotherhood, Minutemen to the NCR far to the west, everyone knew equally well that omegas were and would always be a rarity, moreso than they had ever been in the days before the war. 

Men, women, any omega--they were precious commodities in a living form, a treasure that lived and breathed and incited pleasure and warmth in even the most inconsolable, rampaging alpha. Though all factions found their particular ideologies or, in the most inhumane way, ‘uses’ for omegas, the Brotherhood had always abided by the prospect that omegas were considered on the same tier as technology itself: a precious relic of pre-war days, and things meant to be collected and cared for so they couldn’t be used as a weapon.

“Sir?”

It took Maxson a few seconds to realize that in the middle of his thoughts, he had been staring at the small omega standing in front of him. Nate’s voice caught him, drew the man out of his own mind--it was probably a blessing that he was a beta. In fact, it was probably a blessing that a majority of his people were betas. 

The few alphas that he led were paladins and knights, constantly out in the field and making fine work of their combative ability, while the majority of his scribes were betas and, for a few of them, omegas. 

But this one--this one was a rarity within a rarity. A vault dwelling omega, untainted by the wasteland and, if her scent was anything to go by, unmated. 

It was like finding a rad-free rose blossoming in the middle of the wasteland.

Maxson took a few steps towards her, eyes firmly laying over her form, taking in every detail as if he was taking in a new recruit, but his internal checklist was much, much different.

She smelled like spices, earthy and inviting as her eyes, her hair, the slight but soft curves over her cheeks that was just another reminder of where she came from. But undoubtedly, assuredly, this woman was an omega. Even though he had only smelled the scent only a time or two before, Maxson’s body instinctively knew it, down into his bones. He didn’t need to get close to determine Nate’s honesty--

He just wanted to selfishly bask in her scent. 

It would have been embarrassing to announce it out loud, but his highest paladin didn’t seem to give his commander a look other than simple curiosity. Of course he, as a beta, couldn’t truly enjoy the simple joy of an omega’s scent--the way it called and teased, the way it incited feelings of want, need, and protectiveness. 

It had been a long time since Maxson felt the touch of a woman, and never had the few women he’d been with been omegas. 

Maxson yanked himself from his greedy thoughts and cleared his throat, watching the way she almost flinched at the sudden, gruff sound from deep in his chest.

“What is your name?” He asked, voice low, unintentionally too gravelly. That seemed a rather appropriate first question, as Nate hadn’t supplied him with much information, and the commander leaned towards her, ever so slightly.

Apparently it was just enough to make her step back, her eyes wary and her body language tense.

“You’re an...alpha,” She whispered, tone as cautious as her expression, otherwise ignoring his question. 

Maxson stared at her in confusion, only realizing in that moment how much he was giving into his lesser-than-polite instincts. It was one thing to be curious and protective, but another entirely to be smothering, especially when she was yet barely getting a sense of herself on his ship.

He took a slow, deliberate step back, stiffening his spine and shoulders so they sat back on his body, chin held and eyes….glancing between her and Nate. 

When she didn’t provide an answer to the commander’s question however, the Paladin did instead. It was a soft name, and it fit her very well, Maxson couldn’t help but repeat it mentally a few times just to make sure that he associated it with her face and, unconsciously, that beautiful smell lavishly filling the air in the room.

Eventually, his Paladin started to report the mission properly, now that the air was clear of confusion.

The entire, original reason Nate had been sent out was to explore the once-privately-owned laboratory to the western reaches of the Commonwealth--and instead of finding a mere old, run-down, war-torn shell of a building, they found something infinitely more amazing: a vault entrance hidden in the basement. 

Vault 314.

Maxson looked rather surprised, honestly, that Nate hadn’t returned with more, or hadn’t at the very least requested for backup to help with the collection of the tech from the old, empty vault that she had been hiding out in.

“It wasn’t empty, sir.” Nate said in a measured tone, a tone that meant more than what his words let on. “This vault dweller was actually in the process of escaping. I helped her, but they locked the vault back up when they saw me. Must have jammed my radio signal damn good, couldn’t get a message out until I was halfway back.”

Maxson and the Paladin met eyes, silence between them for a few seconds as both men took it in and the girl clutched at Nate’s BOS underarmor like it was some sort of lifeline.

Instantly, the leader could feel his senses spiking--he could smell a sickly, soft tinge of fear prickle through the air.

Dark eyes shifted back to the woman, half-jealous that it was Nate’s arm she was grabbing and half-concerned for why she would want to run away from what many had seen as the epitome of safety in the wasteland.

His mouth opened to speak, questions and interrogation nearly solid in what he wanted to know from her, but the man held his tongue when the smell of fear assaulted his senses.

She wasn’t just scared; the omega was downright terrified. And not, at least mostly, because of Maxson himself. He could feel the way she shivered, scent flaring at the mention of the vault itself and where Nate had found her. 

Whatever her reason to leave the safety of the vault, it was probably a good one--one that his Paladins could figure out on their own with another, more organized trip to the west.

“No matter,” The man began, hands behind his back and his shoulders tense, but his eyes briefly glanced at the man he was talking to. “You’ve done very well, even if you weren’t able to complete the original mission, Paladin Nate.” 

The man nodded his head respectfully at the high words of praise, something few others managed to wrench out of the Elder even if they pulled out their own teeth to get it. When it was obvious that the Elder was finished with him, the paladin gently loosened himself from the omega’s grip, gave her a soothing smile, and then backed out of the room so he could tend to his weapon and armor--for vault-dwellers, they sure had some powerful weaponry. Actually managed to get a couple dents in the torso, a bit too close to the power core chassis for Nate’s personal comfort.

Once the sound of the doors hummed oh-too-gently through the empty air of the briefing room, it was left all too clear that only Maxson and the small omega remained. He stared down at her, and she up at him, their eyes locked in a moment that could only be described as cautious.

It wasn’t often that she got to see an alpha so close. His scent almost tainted the air, clouding and making it hard to breathe when all it brought was the reminder of his authority over her--every couple of seconds her mind would even briefly flicker back to the vault itself, of the scientists and the alphas they’d worked with. 

Oddly enough, the man’s scent didn’t come with the feeling of fear twisting within. He was an obvious alpha through-and-through, it wasn’t as if he tried to hide his scent or his body language, but he looked almost...reverent. Where she was so used to seeing cold calculation and impassive curiosity, she instead saw awe and delight.

“I don’t think I got your name....sir,” the small omega asked, her voice a mere whisper, her body unsure how to react. The understanding she held of the outside world was very limited, and the majority had come from the kind beta who escorted her back to his ship. The Brotherhood of Steel. 

There had been some minor records of them hidden in the computers in the vault, but she never expected to see anything quite like it. Giant suits of armor, a flying ship, and a leader with such a calming, powerful voice. She was nowhere near her heat, but it was already an intoxicating sound.

Maxson made a noise before speaking, somewhere between a hum and a growl. “You can call me Arthur Maxson,” He said softly. The fact that he didn’t include some sort of honorific, especially as she had heard the paladin using it mere moments before, was equal parts humbling and kind.

They stared at one another for a few moments, awkward and unsure on both ends, before the commander took in a breath and decided to fill the air with noise, lest he grow too intoxicated with her scent again.

“I...guess we’ll have to find a room that you can stay in,” He rumbled, eyes averting from those soft, curious orbs, cheeks finally dry of tears. God, don’t stare at her too long, don’t think about the scent of an unmated, untainted omega. 

“....Can I stay with you?” She responded, a voice so soft that Maxson barely heard it. But he heard it, and he balked at her.

“I--” he let out a broken string of noises that vaguely sounded like English. “I don’t know if that would be appropriate.”

“I could smell other alphas on this ship,” She said cautiously, looking Maxson up and down. “You’re the only one I trust to be near.” He was the commander above all else as well--she knew that he wouldn’t let his men hurt her, claim her, if only by the way his eyes looked down at her. “...The vault I came from wasn’t kind to omegas.”

Considering what she had been through, she didn’t want anything to do with any of the other alphas on the Prydwyn. They reminded her too much of the vault, the claustrophobia, the fear. They smelled like antiseptic and metal.

Maxson smelled warm, and his voice was rather inviting. If only for those shallow traits and the assurance from Nate when they returned to the Brotherhood ship, the omega was more than happy to sacrifice her freedom in the wasteland if it meant she’d be safe, protected than treated as a lab experiment.

“I…” he looked as though he didn’t know how to respond, at a loss for words in a situation he could never have expected. “I...guess I can’t reject the request. I’ll have things modified so you can share my quarters until we have something permanent set up for you.”

And so that’s how Maxson suddenly found himself, an unmated alpha, sharing his quarters with an unmated omega and feeling like he was nothing more than a lovesick teenager.


End file.
